Lost a Pet

Lost Pets

You can:

What You Can Do to Find Your Lost Pet:

Immediately file a “Lost Animal” report online or at the shelter. (Sorry, we cannot take reports over the phone.) It is extremely important to come to the shelter, or file a report ASAP, as stray animals are sheltered for one to five days while we try to locate their owner. If the animal is not claimed, he/she will be evaluated for adoption, transferred, or even possibly humanely euthanized.

Bring in a recent photo of the missing animal, if possible.

Visit the shelter every 2-3 days to view the animals in stray holding.

Don’t see your pet? Here are some other ideas to help locate your lost pet:

Important phone numbers

A note about stray holding time

Typically, dogs remain in stray holding for three (without identification) to five days (with id), giving their owner time to claim them. Cats usually remain in stray holding for 24 hours. From there, the animal is evaluated for adoption by our exam staff. If the animal meets temperament and behavior standards, the animal will be moved to our Adoption kennels.

If an animal has been in stray holding for more than five days, most likely the animal is waiting to be picked-up by a rescue organization or transferred to another animal shelter. Until an animal is moved to the adoption kennels, adoption staff will not be able to provide additional information to the public.

If you have questions about Lost & Found, call the customer service department at (503) 585-5900, or email customer.service@whs4pets.org.

You can:

If you lost a cat in Marion or Polk County, Willamette Humane Society is your resource. Sadly, only 2-3 percent of stray cats are reclaimed by their owners. This prompted us to take a position that puts lost and unclaimed cats on a fast track to a new home. We give pet owners 24 hours to claim a lost cat before making the cat available to potential adopters.

Our stray cats are housed in the adoption room and available for view and visiting from the first day of their arrival. We encourage you to come to the shelter immediately on our open days to check for your lost cat. (We open at 12 pm, Thursday through Monday. The shelter is closed Tuesday & Wednesday).

If you locate your cat at WHS, you will be assessed boarding fees upon his/her return.

Yes, Willamette Humane Society cares for stray dogs found in Polk County, as well as all the stray and lost cats found in Marion and Polk Counties. Stray dogs found in Marion County must go to theMarion County Dog Shelter, located at 3550 Aumsville Hwy SE in Salem. A report may also be submitted through the organization’s website. The Marion County Dog Shelter’s phone number is (503) 588-5233.

Community members may bring lost animals to WHS by appointment or during walk-in hours. Animals are scanned for a microchip and the Good Samaritan is asked to fill out a brief personality profile to provide us with any details observed while caring for the animal. Animals not claimed by their owners are evaluated for the adoption pool. In addition, all injured and ill animals are cared for immediately.

Sometimes, community members who find a lost or stray pet choose to keep that animal in their homes while waiting for an owner match. In this scenario, the individual should still fill out a found pet report and bring the animal to WHS to be scanned for a microchip. We keep this report for 30 days or until a match is made.

Since we depend on donations to serve our community, we ask for a suggested donation of $10 to bring in a stray animal.

Before any animal can be adopted by a new owner, there is a stray hold time to give owners an opportunity to claim their pet. Oregon law prescribes a three day hold time for dogs without identification and a five day hold time for dogs with identification.

There are no laws for how long to hold a stray cat, but WHS places a one business day stray hold on a cat without identification. This does not include the day of arrival or any days we are closed to the public. Our return-to-owner rate for felines is no different than when we had a longer stray hold. In fact, stray cats now have greater adoption visibility and faster placement.

Reports for lost and found pets can be submitted through our website. By facilitating online reporting of lost pets, many lost animals are finding their way back home without ever even coming into the shelter.